Freezeing Tecate carb problems

[Tecate250]

Hi guys. Its that time of year again. But now back to another problem. In the winter time when its really cold. About -15 to 20ish my Tecates carb will freeze up. Or when i go through water that has not froze yet will freeze to my carb. Makeing the choke usless. Anyone have an idea to solve this? Ive been thinking of makeing a schroud to use the head and cyl heat to heat the carb up. Any ideas?

[just ben]

don't go through water.If it is iced up before running it you have moisture in the fuel.

[Tecate250]

Dont go through water. Sorry cant do that. The ice freezes to the carb after running it and cooling it down. I also have the kx 250 motor so no lighting coil too.
Thanks for the help ben. Not too many helpful people on this board anymore.

[just ben]

are you ruunning the airbox or a clamp on?

[ezmoney1979]

I tuck mine in, using an old pink blanket. Is that helpful?
http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae240/ezmoney1979/90parts001-1.jpg

[Tecate250]

I am useing the stock air box with a Uni air filter. Its pointless to run a clamp on here. Or at least where I run it.
Well ezmonkey. My bike is not a garage queen. Its not afraid of getting dirty. Mines not a sook and needs to be tucked in with a bed time story.

[ezmoney1979]

What's a sook? I dont speak Nova Scotian. Trailer Park Boys is hard for me to follow sometimes lol.

[WilliamJ]

I am not familiar with that trike (very, very rare in the UK) but there are a couple of ways to solve this - with liquid cooled engine you can run a small bore coolant take off pipe around the intake manifold. A couple of turns around the tube and back into the cooling system. Also you could duct the air intake from around the exhaust - but this is much trickier to do neatly. If you can arrange a small shut off valve in the coolant pipe you won't need to remove it for warmer weather.
Bill

[Xpress]

^That's quite ingenious. Much like older heater controls, on/off valve to allow coolant to flow through when you want to or when you don't want it to.

You could probably use copper tubing that's insulated.

[ezmoney1979]

I am not familiar with that trike (very, very rare in the UK) but there are a couple of ways to solve this - with liquid cooled engine you can run a small bore coolant take off pipe around the intake manifold. A couple of turns around the tube and back into the cooling system. Also you could duct the air intake from around the exhaust - but this is much trickier to do neatly. If you can arrange a small shut off valve in the coolant pipe you won't need to remove it for warmer weather.
Bill

Building on this idea- Maybe you can utilize some snowmobile parts for valves and such- http://www.ebay.com/itm/02-MXZ500-CARB-COOLANT-VALVE-MXZ-500-600-700-800-/360348500165?pt=Snowmobile_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item53e671c0c5 I am not sure where the best place would be to pull water from. I guess after the water pump? Then maybe dump it back in above the cylinder? Just some ideas. :beer

[Tecate250]

Oh I was never a fan of Trailer Park Boys :crazy:
Here she is in her glory. Far from mint but its the only one I know of in working order in half my country.
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll148/Tecate250/Tecate/IMG_3574.jpg

So anyone who knows the 1984-85 tecates will know that the water pump has a small hose that runs into the cylinder. So can I use a T sort a speak and install it between the water pump and the cylinder and have wrap around the carb like mentioned.? Makeing it with a dead end would be easier to build. But will it circulate right? Im not looking for extrewe heat here just enough heat to melt the ice.:lol: I can see hoe a trike with 2 rads under the gas tank would help here blowing heat straight back.

[fabiodriven]

You just asked if a hose with a dead end on it will circulate Dwayne....

[Xpress]

Maybe use the coolant return line to wrap around the carb and then run back into the lower engine casing?

[MTS]

Wonder if a guy could modify a heated sock to wrap around the carb, kinda slim on pickins with out a lighting coil, or a heated hand grip stuck to thw bowl, the coolant idea might be the best bet but you would have to loop it back into the system,

[WilliamJ]

Without a Tecate here to workout how the water flows it's hard to say what the best route is but it has gotta flow, so as Fabio says...........;) The water has have a pressure difference to flow - the pressure is higher just after the pump and lower just before it. Those positions are usually not practical so try to find the next nearest that are practical to tee into. The water flow is into the engine from the bottom, up through the water jacket and into the cylinder head. Out of the head through the top hose into the rad, then as it cools it falls down through the rad (sometimes a double pass) Then back to the pump. You need to take the source before it goes to the rad or you may not have any warm water with the thermostat closed. Likewise the return should be engine side of the stat

Copper tubing is good. I used 10mm diameter copper for my race car but that's got 4 cylinders and a really long manifold. A double turn of tube just after the carb fixed it so well that I had to put a valve in the line to stop it detonating once the manifold was warm. I would say 6mm tubing would be fine, making the tee piece and positioning it right will be a suck-it-and-see thing.
Bill

[willreed03]

Have you tried just soaking the outside of the carb in WD-40 and removing the choke device and lightly greasing the shaft and spline? I used to run into a freezing choke issue on my 250R when riding on the frozen lakes. Spraying it with WD-40 and keeping the choke lever lightly greased has helped me. Other than that I have no advice.

[Iceracer]

Take an old innertube and punch a hole for the carb and fuel line tighter the better. Then drape it over the cylinder.
the tube should drape down to the cases so water can't get on the carb. Use a couple zip ties to closely up around the back of the carb. Used to do this when I rode the snomo trails a lot.

[tpit8787]

It's a tuning issue.not a lack of an extravagant heating apparatus

[Xpress]

Also do Tecates have thermostats?

[Tecate250]

No tecates dont have a thermastat. If you look at my picture it shows the complete cooling system. I was going to go with the coolant issue but instead I made 2 air scoops that sit on top of the head and direct hot air from the head down to the carb. And I never thought of wd40 on the carb as well as grease the choke nob it self. Way to hussle guys. Thanks for the advise. Ill post some pics later.

[Tecate250]

This didnt work so back to the drawing board.
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll148/Tecate250/Tecate/IMG_3674.jpg
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll148/Tecate250/Tecate/IMG_3673.jpg
I didnt want to make them that big cause it would interfear with choke and carb cap if the carb did freeze. Which it did.